Doing the happy dance!!!!

So some days are better than others! Yesterday was not such a productive sewing day. I could be disappointed in myself, but seriously? What will that do? NOTHING! I rack it up to a sewing day when not much got done, and push for a better day today. 

However, something so monumental happened yesterday that I think I was in shock and couldn't really focus on anything else!

One of my goals for 2026 is to get my embroidery design files in order. That task is overwhelming because those files are everywhere. Where does one start and how? How to set up a good file structure, naming protocols, etc. I don't want to do all this work and have a crap system. 

The first step was to investigate what was on one of the five external hard drives I have. I know --- perhaps that's too many, but that's just how things have evolved. I looked at the first one—a total disaster. OK -- I'm exaggerating - not a total disaster, but not good either. 

But there were not many embroidery files on that hard disk, so I opened the next one. OK -- this is the one that I should be using. The majority of the files are here. I use the term majority loosely! 

And then I had a quick look at what else was on that hard disk. And then I had a wild thought. Could that missing quilt pattern be on this hard disk? 

What I'm looking for is an EQ7 file, and there's a directory of EQ7 files on the hard disk. So with bated breath, I timidly opened the folder and looked at the projects. Now, if I hadn't had a chat with my Monday group about the missing folder the day before, I would have missed it, because I was looking for a different name. But OH MY—there was the digital file! 

I slowly opened it - I mean that, since my desktop is so slow these days, even with a reboot - more on that in a second. And VOILA --- that was the file. BUT was the quilt actually in there and usable? I slowly swiped through the quilt's various iterations. OMG - I could have wept. The quilt's background is there! Do you know how many hours of work that saved me! I'll share the quilt tomorrow as I don't have time this morning. 

I was jumping around the house doing the happy dance because that was a monumental find. And this just goes to show why these files need to be cleaned up! I quickly saved it as a new file and gave it the correct name. So with the information (hard copies of the writing - thanks to my searching and to a fellow Monday sewing group member), I've found everything. It all means I can now easily recreate the pattern - it will take a bit of time to plug in the design, but not huge! I have a lot of typing to do, but that's OK. It's much easier to type and edit than to create from scratch!

I don't know what's happening to this computer, but even with having only a few windows open and rebooting it much more frequently, it is SLOW. And I have a ton of files to be shifting around. And I want to get all the boxes off the floor in the office, so the new computer box is open, and I'll get it hooked up this afternoon. That should speed up the file transfer process. I'm excited for that!!! 

There shouldn't be much, if any data to transfer, as I keep everything on those external hard drives. But it sure would be nice to go to a hard drive and grab the right one for what I need. Why so many? Well, I would love to have all my photos on one, all my embroidery designs and sewing machine-related presentations, etc on another, and then anything else on the third one. One can be used as a backup for all three of the others, and the fifth? Well, I might clean it and have a spare! Actually, the fifth one will be attached to the computer, and it's where the daily crap goes! Well, I'll figure it out! One is too big to travel with, so it will be the daily use one. 

I also want to stop using OneDrive except for active files that I'm working on. That's the only way to use AutoSave. I HATE that, but that's what Microsoft did to force people to use their online storage. 

So while it was not a very productive day in the sewing world, it was a very productive day in the computer world!!

And I also did some baking! Well, not baking per se, but I baked my squash in preparation to make soup. And DO NOT laugh at me, but I discovered that I could peel the squash BEFORE baking it, and I'm sold. I think I'll be making a lot more butternut squash soup. It was a pain to remove the squash from the baked skin. 

My baked squash

So that was super easy. I put the squash in the microwave for three minutes to soften it enough to cut it in half. Next time, I might try peeling it before I do that, but this worked OK. Then I got the vegetable peeler out and quickly peeled it. I had to use my sharp knife for some of the bits. In the oven with water, salt, and pepper. I will cut it into smaller pieces next time. And voila -- baked squash. 

I am so not into cooking or baking that it's a miracle when I figure stuff out! 

The other thing that happened in the kitchen is that I got all the wax out of my pie dish, so now I can make the pie crust machine embroidery for it! I'm super excited!

My empty pie dish

But I had to go shopping in the morning because Miss Murphy had NO dog food left. I even had to give her some of Lexi's food in the morning. Since I was close by, I stopped at Michael's. Do they have a candle-making section? 

Oh yes!!!!

Candle-making section at Michael's

That's huge, and at first, I was a bit overwhelmed, and started pulling products off the shelves - wicks, wick centering sticks, paste for the wicks, etc. THEN I had a clear head and put it all back, but I did purchase ONE glass jar with a wick already pre-stuck in it. I'll use that to experiment with, and we'll go from there. 

What I need now is a double boiler. NO - I'm not going to buy one, but I'll McGiver one with something -a glass jar or a metal bowl, and one of my existing pots. I was going to go to the thrift store to see if I could find something suitable. Then I can safely melt the wax and see how my new candle fares. One experiment, and that will become a thing or not! It'll be fun to try. I do know enough to NOT use the wax melting pot as a kitchen item! It would be great to find a Pyrex glass measuring cup with a pour spout. Maybe the dollar store would have that. But it needs to be at least a two-cup one, and I need to find something metal to put at the bottom of the pot so the glass doesn't touch the bottom. Like a metal trivet! 

But oh my—there are loads of fun things at Michael's. Look at these giant balls of yarn! They are HUGE!!!!!

Massive balls of yarn

And puzzles in a truck-shaped tin! All I bought was a baseball hat blank and a small pack of felt wreaths. All things that I can experiment with on the embroidery machine! Do I seem obsessed with that or what? 

A truck-shaped tin for a jigsaw puzzle

I stopped to get Harvey's for lunch. And YES --- those frings and french fries are full of fat. I'm OK with that. But I bought a bottle of water instead of a pop. The only time I bought a pop was when I ate fast food. BTW - I don't eat fast food often! Well, no more. Now that Brooke (personal trainer) and I are on board to get this BMI down, all sugar needs to be removed from the diet. Make that refined sugar! 

Water, not pop, is my drink of choice now!

Don't tell me about zero-calorie pop, or sugar-free or whatever. The goal is to eliminate pop from my diet. Forever! 

I promised to show you the results of the thin thread when quilting. Here is the front of the quilt, which is light-colored, so you want a lighter-colored thread for it. I aim for medium or light-medium so the thread shows equally on all parts. This was a light-medium grey thread. 

Light-medium grey thread on the quilt top

But what to put on the back, which was dark!!! So I grabbed a light-weight grey thread, and it virtually disappears into the back. This is a 60-weight thread on the back. 

Light grey thread on the back

The bonus is that, even with great tension on the long arm, the bobbin thread sometimes appears on the top when stitching a point. But with this combination? The quilting is perfect!!!!

I have another example that I'll take pictures of today and show you. The difference in thread weight is much more dramatic! 

And I did manage to finish another customer's quilt! And I got the other two trimmed. 

Customer quilt - DONE

It had a dark green backing, and I used a medium green thread on the back. With the thinner threads, the quilting is visible, but not shouting in your face as if I had used white to match the top. I'm sold!!!!

Did you check out the QUILTsocial posts? They are so cute, and there's a lot more cute coming this week. 

Here's day three - more felting on the embroidery machine, and I show how I finished that mini pillow cover! So cute!!!! Oh shoot—the link isn't available yet. Well, go to QUILTsocial, and it should be up by the time you get to reading the post. I'll add the link when I get back from spin class. 

Well, it's time to get ready for spin class. I feel pretty good this morning, and I hope it'll be a productive day! If not productive, it's going to be busy -- I need to get that new computer up and running - I'm tired of this crappy old one. 

I will mention that when the alarm went off, I was tired and even considered not going to the gym. BUT then I told myself to get my butt out of bed because I need the cardio and I need the stretching. If I don't go now, it won't get done today! So I'm off to the gym! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Finishing off UFOs

 Yesterday was a busy day, and I was on Zoom for most of it. I can't imagine what my days would be like without it! Yes -- I could get together with friends locally, but I couldn't be with someone in Germany, Mexico, and various parts of Canada simultaneously! But with Zoom, I can! The friendships that have grown, the things we have shared -- well, it just can't be beaten! 

And some of them just can't get enough! I left the call at 9 PM, and there were still some diehards. The night owls, but where are they now? Fast asleep! While I get myself up and to the gym!

As you know, I have those darn lists of UFOs, and I'm attempting to get them done. So here are two of them, and they are COMPLETELY DONE. 

The Chunk of the month --  quilted

Although I call this one the Chunk of the month, it's called Twinkle little star. And now the binding is on. 

UFO - DONE

I started it in 2013 and finished in 2022. 

The next UFO that is completely finished is Farmer's Wife. This one was started in 2012 and completed in 2022. 

Farmer's Wife quilt - done!

The binding is now on the quilt. 

The binding is on the quilt

I'm pleased as punch that both of those are now done. As I've mentioned, there are lots more where those came from, and I'm trying to take full advantage of the UFO Club to make that happen. 

I did a quick tally yesterday of the numbers from the UFO Club, but I need to have them in my head, so I'll try to post them tomorrow. But we will be making a nice donation to the local food bank with the funds that were forfeited by not finishing our goals as promised. And I'm not the one that sets the goal, but I've been known to slip! It happens. 

And now I'm onto the next UFO. I'm going to finish the 150 Canadian Women. The blocks are on the design wall. 

150 Canadian Women - the next UFO on the list

I don't know if I'm going to rearrange the blocks. I might rearrange a few, but they randomly got thrown up on the wall and play together nicely. You'll notice a gap along the bottom left, and I have a plan for that. Now that all my commitments for the year are done, I can get down to business and get more stuff done without any distractions. There is one more distribution list to create and then to deal with all the e-mails I've received. They are all filed away to make it easier for me to deal with. 

I will use EQ8 to help me determine the size of the sashing to put between the blocks -- ½" or 1"? I'm trying to keep the quilt as small as possible, but I don't want it to be a weird size, so I may have to go with 1". And then to figure out the border. I'm cheating in a way as I saw what one person did with theirs, and I really like the border, so I may copy!

And I was debating on using red or white for the sashing. Putting it up on the wall, I think the answer is obvious -- white it is, as red would be too distracting. 

All 150 names are embroidered on the quilt backing, but it now needs to be assembled; but best to wait until the quilt top is done, so the size is right. 

Part of the quilt backing

Since I belong to both UFO Clubs, I'm pushing to get homework done for both. When I made the list of UFO projects for 2023, I happened upon this project. 

The next UFO project

It's small, and the blocks are cut and will take little time to sew together. Do not laugh!! Then I'll need to find some border fabric and see what I can track down for sunflower embroidery, or I'll put something else on it. That's the problem with patterns from older magazines -- are the embroidery patterns still available? 

And let's remember this UFO that wasn't on any list, but I worked on it at the last retreat, and it's done. I believe this one was started in 2017. 

My sewing machine cover

I would like to quilt all the UFOs I'm completing. I'll see if I can sneak them in between other commitments. That would be very nice indeed. 

So did I get anything done at the Virtual Retreat? You bet! I worked on bindings, but rather than finish a quilt, I sewed many bindings to the backs of the quilt. Made the join, and now all that remains is to stitch the binding to the front. I have to switch threads to do that and decided to maximize my time. There are ten that need to be topstitched. 

The pile of quilts to be bound

So this is the current heap of quilts to be bound, and I hope the pile will be significantly less after Monday's Sewing. I contacted the Project Linus person and told her what I had to donate, but I don't think she comprehends the pile waiting for her. 

Good progress is being made in Studio B, and pretty happy. Yes -- I would love to have more done, but instead of looking backward, I need to congratulate the successes and move on! I could improve at keeping track of my accomplishments, and I'm sure I could spend some time digging through the blog to find out. But I'm just going to be happy knowing that I made considerable dents in what needs to be done, and that's good enough for me! 

I will be hosting a Virtual Retreat on December 24, starting at noon. The link will be posted on Wednesday. So this is NOT supposed to take you away from your family gathering -- it is for those that would be home with "nothing" to do on Christmas Eve. If you are around, be sure to drop in and say hi! We always have loads of fun. 

On that note, I'm off to the gym. I had set a goal for my cardio miles for 2022, and it's aggressive, although I had to downsize it a bit. The gym being closed due to COVID for several months and my not doing the entire Camino is the result of the decrease. There is still 273.2 KM to finish before the end of this year -- 13 days! Tick tock! But there are four spin classes before the end of the year, so that will take a chunk off, and I have an average of 12 KM each day to make my goal! Nothing like being ambitious and leaving the goal-achieving until the very last day! I want my medal!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Farmer's Wife - ten years in the making!

 I'm not sure why some days I feel more in a panic than I am right now. Oh yes -- I know. There are no classes today, and everything is under control for the ones tomorrow. It's all about planning ahead! 

There's so much I want to do, and there just doesn't seem to be time, even though I spend a good solid eight hours or more these days in Studio B. The long arm eats up a big chunk of the time these days, but I'm happy to report that the last customer quilt for this year is on the frame, and that's the final quilt on the list for this year. I have two or three of my own that I want to play with, and then I need to load some scrap fabric and go to town!! There's software to learn, and I've got some downtime. 

Not having to babysit the long arm will free up a lot of time, so I might get the rest of those bindings on and start planning/prepping for classes for 2023. And let's not forget the samples for machine embroidery! 

The quilt I worked on yesterday was my own, and it was huge -- 86" by 106". I vowed I would never make another big quilt, but this one was a sew-long at The Hobby Horse that we did in 2012. It's called Farmer's Wife, and I decided to put all 111 blocks in one quilt. The good news is this quilt should be done by tomorrow! 

That's a big quilt

I still had three rows to go, and I looked at the top thread. OH!! I'm getting low, and I wasn't sure if I had another spool. The color of the thread was PERFECT. Well, I'm that careful with everyone's quilt, as I try to blend the thread in as it's not my pantograph quilting that's important -- it's the customers' quilt. 

Running low on thread

And I got lucky. I could start to see the cone by the time I was done, but I had enough. This will be a candidate for my practice quilting next week and one of my favorite colors! 

I won!!

This is always the most exciting part -- well, one of the exciting parts when doing a large quilt is seeing the bottom border pop up. 

The bottom border

I didn't think the bobbin was going to last until the end, as it usually runs out mere inches from the end, but I got lucky with that and didn't even check how much thread was left on the bobbin. 

Here is the quilt -- done! OK -- so it's technically not done. It's trimmed, but I still have to put the binding on it, and that's a job for later today. 

My quilt - DONE

And several more quilts got the binding on. One for community projects. 

Community project quilt - DONE

One for me. 

Chunk of the month - DONE

One for community projects. 

Community project quilt  - DONE

I've been thinking about my UFO lists and what to do with them. I started those lists in 2017, and all the 2017 and 2018 lists are done! There are three more projects on the 2019 list, and I've been working on one of them. Some are done on the 2020 list, but I haven't touched 2021 or 2022. I created a new one for 2023 this morning. The earlier lists had massive projects with lots of applique or crazy techniques. I'm being more reasonable in the last couple of years, and hopefully, I can clear those last three on the 2019 list and then start ripping through the smaller ones. 

It took me almost a year to work on that orange quilt, and there was no need. It was easy piecing, so I need to step up my game! Let's just say that the UFO Club will run for MANY years! 

Some may think I'm a humbug about Christmas, but I'm not. I'm a fan of getting together with family and friends, but I dislike that people feel obligated to do it at Christmas and forget the rest of the year. I'd rather get together whenever it works, not just because of a date on the calendar. As for gifts? It's insane. Everyone talks about regifting -- so why do we exchange presents? 

I don't need anything! Not even a gift certificate to my local quilt shop. I can't even deal with what I currently have, let alone compound that by getting more stuff. Thankfully we all agreed years ago to not exchange gifts among the family. Chocolates? Don't need them! Fabric -- NO! Cookies and sweets? I don't think so! 

So I'm not being a Scrooge -- I'm just realistic and like to march to my drum. 

I had a peek at my neighbor's new kitchen yesterday. OK -- so she invited me in -- I wasn't peeking in the window. Oh my --- did you know that you can buy a fridge with a black interior? It's quite lovely, and they have changed the house around to make the kitchen the center of the home. 

Meanwhile, our homewrecker of a dog is up to her old tricks. She just has to move her bed into the middle of the floor. And now I've figured out why she is gaining weight. She got fed THREE times yesterday, not two. DH fed her as he flew out the door, and then she came to me looking for more. So -- DH and I need to have a better communication system than just yelling when I'm quilting and have my headphones on! Good grief -- he knows I can't hear him! 

MOM -- I'm moving my bed again! 

Here's a great gift if you know someone who loves candles. Don't get them another candle. Good lord -- do you know how long it takes to burn one down? I'm still working on the candles I received years ago. But a candle trimming kit is convenient. I got this from Ronda several years ago, and I keep it handy; it's great to clean up messy wicks and keep them trimmed. If you don't have one and like candles, you need one. 

Candle trimming tools

And yes -- I burn candles in my studio. Not every day, but from time to time. I light it and put it in the middle of the floor where I won't forget it, and it won't come into contact with anything! 

Here's another giveaway item. Wait until you see the HUGE pile of stuff in the living room that needs to be moved out of my house soon! 

OK -- today it's a pair of running shoes. These are brand new -- never out of the box. They are Sketchers delights, size 9. They used to be my go-to shoe, but I can no longer wear this style as my feet are too wide. Sigh -- I liked them. 

Size 9 Sketchers running shoes

If they work for anyone, let me know by sending me an email at elainetheriault@gmail.com. 

I need to get to the New Balance store to pick up another pair of the ones I have. I like them, and I've realized there is plenty of room in the toe box for my little toe. It's the way the toe sits that it curls under the toe next to it and gets crushed! But not nearly as bad as in the Sketchers, which are narrower. I have those little plastic toe covers, which I'm going to try and see what happens. It doesn't hurt, so I'm not worried about it. 

And there is something to be said about dealing with local businesses. DH had to get his snow tires on the car yesterday and took it to the garage on one of Lexi's walking routes. I offered to drop off the vehicle, so Lexi and I drove to the garage and dropped the car off. She got to come into the shop when we dropped off the keys, and then we finished the walk. 

On my afternoon walk, I stopped in and picked up the car. I LOVE local. If I can walk rather than ride or walk to do my errands, then I'll do so! I wish DH was up to walking to the restaurant within walking distance of the house. But NO - he insists on driving. Sigh..............

Well, that's another fun and exciting day at my house. So much to do today, and remember--- it's Virtual Retreat tonight and tomorrow. I can't wait to catch up with everyone!!! Remember to stop by and say hi! We could have a Christmas toast at 8 PM. 

Here are the links. 

Saturday, December 17  --- Starts at 6 PM EST

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

Sunday, December 18 - Starts at 1 PM EST

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81693717518?pwd=STNoVVQzbDd4ZnROQndNNlpvcC90QT09 Meeting ID: 816 9371 7518 Passcode: 579285

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Time to lose weight!

It's like the Night before Christmas at my house. All is calm! And I love it! It's super easy to keep all my spaces clean and tidy - trust me, they go through many transformations in a day, and it can look like a disaster, but because everything has a home, it takes mere seconds to put stuff away. And yes, constant refinements will be made as I go along, or I'll unearth something else that needs to be dealt with. It's going to be an ongoing process for years to come.

However, at the rate I'm going, empty spaces will get larger, and there will be less of everything, and that's all a good thing! So NEVER wish for a larger sewing space; wish for an organized sewing space! 

Here's something I found yesterday. I didn't exactly find it - I knew it was there, but since I'm getting rid of another sewing machine in the new year, I decided I should check the extension tables and inserts. Perhaps there is something else I can get rid of as well. 

I found this in a little hidey hole in the storage room. Yikes! So I'll have to sort through those and see what I need to keep and don't need. I have TWO tables that require inserts, which are probably useless to anyone unless they buy the same table. But I still have machines that they will work with. Anyway -- something to deal with later today. They should be labeled! 

Extension tables and inserts

And that left this space. It's a useless spot for almost anything else, as there is a post right in front. A silly place for a post, but those tables and inserts fit nicely. So I'll check what I cannot use and see if I can get rid of it. What I can still use will go back. But at least I'll have had a look at it. 

A nice storage spot

I unpacked a bunch of spools of thread in the bags on the cutting table, and I'm down to ONE last bag of stuff to unpack. This all got put away -- can you tell what my favorite colors of thread to play with are? Yep - orange and blue. Some of that is very thick, and I can't wait to experiment with it. After looking at my thread the other day, I've decided that I DO NOT need to purchase any threads for a long time. 

Threads to play with

Speaking of which, I had a quilt to quilt yesterday and wanted to try this variegated thread. It's gorgeous, but could I get it to stitch on the machine? I tried a new needle, loosened the tension, and the thread kept breaking. I've used a variegated of this brand before -- actually, last week, but this one would not work. Sigh...........  I need to load some scrap fabric on the long arm and try getting these variegated threads to work. I have a few spools and would love to use them. I probably needed to loosen the tension a lot more than I did. As I reduced the tension, the breakage happened less often. But I didn't have time to play. 

A gorgeous variegated thread 

In the essence of deadlines, I decided to take a break from customer quilts (there are only two left before Christmas) and work on one of mine. There's a deadline for it. 

Let's say that it's a tad bright! Every time I looked at the quilt to get rid of look threads, it was eye-popping! 

A bright spot

I found some batting bits that I joined. I was slightly leery of the length as I only gave myself four inches to play with. However, it was just enough! Phew! 

Cutting it close with the batting

And there is the finished quilted. Well, it needs the binding put on. But I'm pleased with the color gradations in it. This is my pattern which was shared as a block of the month at two local guilds nearly 10 years ago. I'll be making it available on my blog in the new year. 

One of my quilts - DONE

I have two tutorials on my blog for this quilt, and if you're interested, you can start to check out the details. Here is the link to the first one. NOTE -- I did NOT twirl the seams when I started, but I went back and twirled them. I have a picture somewhere, and I should switch out the pictures in that tutorial. Here's the link to the second tutorial. It's basically how to organize your fabrics. 

When I offered this at the guild, many people participated. Here's a link to the show and tell. 

This was what the revolving cutting mat looked like yesterday. 

Hard at work at the cutting mat

The rate at which we can work means that very little can be put on the table and accomplished in one day! That's been the hardest thing for me, as I want to pile it up with projects because, OF COURSE, I can do all that in one day. Nope -- I'm learning, but it's taken how many years? 

The worktables are clear except for what I'm sewing. The "current excess" is sitting on the current project tables, and everything else is put away. It's easy to get to, but it's not in my face or cluttering my space! I have a few things I still need to finish from 2022 classes, and I'd like to clear those up before the end of the year. 

But they are also tucked away -- not where I'll forget them. Just tucked away. 

Then it was time to get some machine embroidery done. I worked on the final two hoopings for the 150 Canadian Women quilt. These things take hours to stitch out. Thankfully, I can put it on the machine and walk away. Although I had one naughty prewound bobbin that required a bit of stitch ripping, but you'd never know after I fixed the problem. 

Starting one of the embroidery stitch outs

I started the last one after dinner, which would take over two hours. I had to stop the embroidery as I sat in on the evening session with the Courtepointe Quebec ladies! Oh my -- what fun we had, mainly in French! I LOVE it. And some of them are so darn creative! Plus, I'm going to sign up for the mystery quilt and order the pattern in French! That'll make it a double mystery! But after watching the introductory video where the girl talked FAST, I picked up most of what they are doing, and I'll be fine. There are three sizes and several options. I'm picking the smallest size and the option with slightly more piecing and finagling. I can't wait to start, but first, I must sign up!

When we were done, I started the embroidery machine again, but by this time, it was getting late. So I went to bed, where I could monitor the progress on my phone. You have to love that ability! 

Monitoring the embroidery process on my phone

And then it was done! All 150 names are now embroidered on the backing of this quilt. I will focus on assembling the quilt and putting the backing together with the binding. 

The last of the names on the backing

And that was only some of what got done. I got the bindings on several of the Quilts of Valour quilts. 

Binding number one

Binding number two

So that leaves four more to bind, and then all the Quilts of Valour quilts can be delivered. My goal is to get them done by the weekend. However, with the predicted BIG storm, I will deliver them next week. Then I can start to work on the Project Linus quilts. There are only twenty of them to bind! But they are much smaller, so it will take less time, and since most of the classes and customer quilts are done, I will have a lot more flexibility in my schedule. 

I know it doesn't look like it, but I have removed seven lap quilts from that pile! 

The pile of quilts to be bound

Murphy had to go to the vet yesterday for her annual shots. OH dear --- she needs to go on a diet. Our vet is very particular about their weight. And we've been pretty good. Our dogs do not get excessive treats; they are lucky if they get two a week. Of course, they get a tiny one each day with their advent calendars. If I look at the amount of food on the bag, I should be feeding her 3 ½ cups of food if she is an inactive dog. She gets that much, and I would not call her a lethargic dog! Be very careful of the recommended amounts of dog food. If you give your pet the recommended amount, they will gain weight and become unhealthy! The company's goal is to sell dog food, not worry about whether your pet is overweight! 

Recommended food 

I sometimes overfill the cup and must be much more diligent. Does she need to go for a second walk? I notice that she is becoming quite happy staying in the house, whereas before, she spent more time outside. I think it is time to reduce the food a wee bit more. Poor Murphy! She's becoming lazy! I think a bit of Lexi is rubbing off on her! 

Murphy has to lose 6 pounds! 

I'll spend the morning at the computer attempting to get all the class information out. I'm so bad at that and made a mistake with a date, so I have to recover. Then I can get back downstairs and try to get some work done. Lots of things need to be squared away, questions that need to be asked and answered -- silly stuff like that! 

And holy cow -- I was lying in bed this morning and could hear the wind! It's mad out there. Thankfully, the temperature is above zero Celcius, but I bet the wind makes it bitter! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Oh shoot -- there's a virtual retreat this weekend. Be sure to stop by and say hi!! We have loads of fun -- you don't have to stay all day. It's open to anyone, and it's free! 

Saturday, December 17, starting at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

Sunday, December 18, starting at 1 PM (NOTE the later start time)

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81693717518?pwd=STNoVVQzbDd4ZnROQndNNlpvcC90QT09 Meeting ID: 816 9371 7518 Passcode: 579285

Progress in Studio B

OH MY GOODNESS - Tammy --- you're the best! Tammy just saved me a trip to IKEA and money! Instead of buying a desk with drawers, did you know you can buy a drawer unit that fits under your table? I just Googled them, and there are MANY options, so that looks like an excellent idea for ALL of my worktables. I might buy one to test it out and then see how that goes! Thank you, Tammy!!! It looks like I'm only going to find them at my favorite online store. So be it! 

And the item that I wanted and couldn't find, but Heather managed to find, should arrive by December 1. Imagine having to buy an English game in Quebec. I bet no one else thought to look there! And I'm surprised it didn't come up in the Google search! It is SOLD OUT everywhere, but not in Quebec! 

I have some very resourceful friends/readers, and I appreciate all the advice and help I've received over the years. 

Oh, I should mention that Cathie told me that using a hair dryer to heat the labels will melt the glue, and they peel off easily. Now I must find another sticky label and try that! And then to find a hair dryer! 

And for whatever reason, my nose is running like mad this morning. Well, that's not true, but it's stuffy and running, and I know it's because of allergies or this house or the dogs or something. I've popped a pill, and let's hope it kicks in!

Although I got lots of sewing done, I didn't make it downstairs to sew until late in the afternoon. Why? I had a massive paperwork job that HAD to be done, which took hours! But I found everything I needed and got a system going, and it was done. There is much more paperwork to do, but that was the worst job, and now it's over. I hope to get back to the paperwork in the morning and sewing all afternoon routine. 

The ironing board is clear, as I needed to press some large seams. 

Clear ironing board

The cutting table is clear, which is good as I needed it to add a border. 

Clear cutting table

The sewing tables are clear except for a quilt that will be bound - well, no, I don't have time to bind a quilt today, so that will get moved. 

But I was using the worktables last night as my conference area, and I watched a webinar on my iPad and Googled stuff on the computer. 

Gathering information

There's so much information out there that you could NEVER tire of finding something to watch. And rather than watching an entertainment show, I'm watching information-gathering shows. Oh my god -- I've turned into my DAD!! He watches YouTube for hours! Not for entertainment, but to learn stuff!

OK, let's see what I accomplished in the sewing department. I got the backing for my orange quilt. 

The backing for a quilt

OH -- I never showed you the orange quilt, and I finished it for UFO and never posted it here. Or did I? Well, here it is again. 

My chunk of the month quilt top - DONE

I didn't get the color gradation quite right in the orange, but honestly -- I'm thrilled with it. I'm thrilled to pieces since it's been a UFO for almost 10 years. It's my design, and I intend to redo the pattern and make it available to you. The old pattern is on my desk, waiting for its turn in the paperwork! 

The binding is also made, and this quilt is now in the "to be quilted" pile. 

Binding for the orange quilt

If you wish to see what the Mississauga Quilter's Guild members did with theirs, check out this link. 

I cut the missing piece for my Tula Pink Butterfly quilt, and that's all I will say about that. The final reveal is TONIGHT! 

The missing piece for the butterfly quilt

I'm up-to-date with all the blocks for Toes in the Sand. This is a sew-along hosted by Thimbles and Things and taught by me! I love the colors! A mix of Kaffe Fassett and my stash. 

My blocks for Toes in the Sand

I laughed when I finally got downstairs to sew. I opened my little box and found the magnetic pincushion was stuck to the lid. That's OK since I rarely use the pincushion, I don't need it, and it conveniently got itself out of the way!

My little toolbox

I added the items on the cutting table to the items on the floor. Yikes-- this is getting out of hand. But I aim to assign time to work on each project (or more or less commit to doing it now) or find a home for the stuff in a closet. Or there's an empty bin in this pile that could be used to "hide" the stuff -- make a list of what's in it and tuck it away, so things don't look so unruly. I know I can find a home for most of it quickly. YES -- let's do that today -- WAIT -- I have homework to prepare for two classes tomorrow. Then I can tackle this and the current projects table. They need to be addressed before the end of the year. 

The stack of stuff that needs to be addressed!

Can you see the slobber and dirty paw prints on this window? This is the FRONT window. And Murphy has a bad habit of jumping at the window if she sees something of interest outside. So we've had to block the window off with a wrought iron bike to prevent this from happening. I imagine her breaking the window, and it wouldn't be pretty! When they test windows, I bet they didn't try an excited dog repeatedly banging on it!

Dirty paw prints on the window

It's hard to judge in the photo, but those prints are pretty high up as that is a large window. Yep - she would stand in her bed and pound! Sigh............. 

My phone is getting very annoying. It's cutting out regularly now, and I do NOT want to buy a new one. I can get a new one for $300 through the insurance plan, the $300 being the deductible. My current one is so unreliable - I'm starting to hate it! I may walk to the mall just to enquire, and I can look at the flip phones!

I see that Torry is also reading The Seven Sisters series. Oh my --- this book is heartwrenching. Just when you think things are going well, they aren't, and some of the decisions made by the characters? Honor and love? We don't have that kind of honor and love in today's society! I know it's only fiction, but there are characters I've wanted to reach out to and strangle! Just over six hours left to read in four days. I'll make it, and I see the next one is available at one of our joint libraries. Should I get it now? Well, I'll wait until this one is done -- no need to waste a couple of days, and I see it's shorter -- only 19 hours!

I see it's time to get moving. The temperature is very out of whack these days! It's so warm -- I wore a vest on my afternoon walk and almost died of the heat! 

Don't forget there's another day of QUILTsocial to read. This week, I did actual projects, and you will love them. 

And it's Virtual Retreat weekend!! 

Here's the link to Saturday, November 26, starting at 6 PM. 

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

And here's the link to Sunday, November 27, starting at NOON.

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81693717518?pwd=STNoVVQzbDd4ZnROQndNNlpvcC90QT09 Meeting ID: 816 9371 7518 Passcode: 579285

The dates for the Virtual Retreat in December are the 17th and 18th since the regular date would fall on Christmas Eve, and well, I don't know how many people would attend! I'd be there, but likely by myself!

And that's a wrap for today! I've got loads to do -- quilting and sewing. Unpacking and paperwork! All in a day's work!!

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!